Hanging up the phone, it was getting late. Zhan Bei Jue figured Jiang Nan Fang would be hungry too. He put away his phone and asked the busy nurse beside him.
"What can she eat in her condition right now?"
The nurse glanced at Jiang Nan Fang and replied, "As long as it's not 'fa wu', spicy, or greasy, she can eat anything."
Zhan Bei Jue, not one to shy away from asking, inquired, "What counts as 'fa wu'?"
"Beef, lamb, seafood, and eggs."
Zhan Bei Jue understood. "Thank you."
He then took out his phone again and called Ah Zhong. "Bring back lunch when you come."
"Jiang Nan Fang hit her head. Buy her some monkey brain to nourish it."
"..."
Jiang Nan Fang looked at him as if he were an idiot. "Who wants your lunch?"
"Don't think that just because your uncle made a big mistake, these petty benefits can buy me over."
"Hurry up and leave. Seeing you now irritates me. Maybe I'll recover faster if you stay away from me."
Zhan Bei Jue was accustomed to her sharp tongue. Especially today, since her uncle had indeed erred first, he paid no mind to whatever she said.
"Look at you now. For the sake of the city's appearance, I have to manage this, lest you scare people when we go out."
"Who told you you're Zhan Bei Jue's ex-wife? When you embarrass yourself, I embarrass myself too."
"Don't worry, once you change your clothes and no longer threaten the city's appearance, I won't stay even if you beg me."
"..."
This venomous dog of a man. She doubted he would ever utter a decent word in his life.
City's appearance?
Does he think he looks that great!
Unable to get through to him, Jiang Nan Fang was too lazy to argue further. Her face was so swollen it hurt her eyes, so she leaned her head to the side and closed her eyes to rest.
Neither of them spoke to the other, just sat there in silence.
After an unknown amount of time, Ah Zhong arrived.
He carried a box of clothes in one hand and a takeout box in the other.
Seeing Jiang Nan Fang, his expression became somewhat awkward.
"Mr. Zhan, Miss Jiang..."
Zhan Bei Jue lifted his eyelids from his phone and glanced at him. "Did you get the monkey brain?"
"Yes, I did."
"Watch her finish it, and then you can go back after she changes her clothes."
"...Okay."
"For the next month, don't eat anything else. You'll eat monkey brain with her for a month."
"...?"
"You've been so incredibly stupid lately, making frequent mistakes. If it weren't for your consistently stable performance over the past few years, I would have replaced you already."
Zhan Bei Jue stood up. "From now on, you are not allowed to associate with Zhou Jin Bei without good reason, and you are definitely not allowed to hide it from me."
"Associating with people from the Zhou family only lowers your intelligence and offers no other benefits. Take care of yourself."
With that, he glanced at Jiang Nan Fang again.
Seeing that her saline drip was almost finished, he instructed Ah Zhong, "Tell the nurse to change her drip. I'm leaving."
"Don't leave until she changes her clothes and finishes the monkey brain."
Although she had been on an IV drip for a week straight, it hadn't delayed Jiang Nan Fang's work progress.
The bidding for the national grid project was imminent. She had to get her copyrighted old products from Dan Guo into production at Hua Tai before the bid closed.
Once the products were successfully in production, she would use Hua Tai's name to participate in the bidding. She was busy for almost a month.
During this month, Jiang Nan Fang operated day and night, sometimes at the factory, sometimes at the site for selecting supplier materials.
Sometimes she was with the office tender team, sometimes in the conference room.
Driven by her goal, she lived a fulfilling and busy life, even forgetting what day of the week it was or what festival it might be.
It wasn't until the initial bidding ended, and her team successfully entered the second round of selection, that everyone collectively clamored for a celebration.
Only then did she realize it was already the end of the year.
At Zhan's, there were new projects starting, year-end summaries, the group's annual party, and planning for next year's projects.
Zhan Bei Jue was on his feet non-stop, as busy as she was, having lost the original meaning of life.
It wasn't until the bidding ended that Deputy General Manager Gao went to his office.
"Mr. Zhan, we've entered the second round of screening."
Zhan Bei Jue, who was signing documents for Ah Zhong, looked at Deputy General Manager Gao irritably.
"Has Gray become so down on its luck that even making it to the second round is cause for celebration?"
It definitely wasn't for that reason.
Deputy General Manager Gao met his gaze with a worried expression. "No, I came to ask if you know which other companies besides us have entered the second round."
"Speak directly. Deputy General Manager Gao, I don't have time to listen to you beat around the bush."
"Hua Tai also made it this year."
Deputy General Manager Gao looked as if he were facing a formidable enemy.
"A while ago, we visited Old Mr. Zhang, intending to acquire Hua Rui and Hua Tai. It didn't work out, remember? You know what happened afterward. Who exactly took them over?"
So that was his concern.
Zhan Bei Jue already knew that Jiang Nan Fang was managing Hua Tai now.
Seeing how scared Deputy General Manager Gao was, it showed that Jiang Nan Fang had some ability and was managing it very successfully.
"Who took them over? Say what you want to say directly."
"Could it be that they think we'll lose to them in this bid?"
Deputy General Manager Gao slid his chair forward a bit and looked at him very seriously.
"There is indeed a possibility."
"I've known the deputy director of the bidding project team for many years. I specifically asked him today, and Hua Tai's bid document is very well done."
"And according to his estimation, Hua Tai is very likely to be our biggest competitor this year."
"The key is that he had almost disappeared for years, and suddenly reappeared..."
"I'm not afraid of losing a project and being embarrassed, but I'm afraid of losing to them and being embarrassed, Mr. Zhan, you understand what I mean, right?"
Zhan Bei Jue's expression was calm. "So, what are you planning to do now?"
Deputy General Manager Gao said, "I've reviewed Gray's bid document several times and convened meetings to discuss it. What we've submitted so far is our absolute best, and it's also perfect."
"But to ensure foolproof success, I want you to take some time to review it yourself."
Deputy General Manager Gao had two reasons for this.
First, to have Zhan Bei Jue review it again and see if there were any areas for improvement, to increase the chances of winning.
Second, it was also a way to shift responsibility.
"In any case, I've informed you in advance, and you've personally reviewed it. If we fail in the end, it won't be solely my fault."
Zhan Bei Jue saw through his thoughts completely but also understood that his actions were not unreasonable.
He nodded and said, "I understand. Send it over. I'll look at it when I have time."
That evening was the eve of the Little New Year.
Mrs. Zhan had already arranged the first Little New Year's Eve dinner for the mother and son after years of reunion.
But Zhan Bei Jue was still busy until eight in the evening and hadn't returned.
Mrs. Zhan called to ask when he would be back.
Zhan Bei Jue was flipping through the bid documents with a grave expression.
"I'm not coming back tonight. I'm working overtime. Eat by yourself."
"...Are you that busy? It's the eve of the Little New Year..."
"Ah Jue, tell Mom the truth. Are you really that busy lately, or are you still angry with me because of that vixen?"
Zhan Bei Jue was at a crucial point in calculating a data point and didn't have time to chat.
"Whatever you think, that's what it is. I'm hanging up. Don't call again. I'll be up all night tonight."